title: Measurement of testosterone in human sexuality research: methodological considerations.
abstract: Testosterone (T) and other androgens are incorporated into an increasingly wide array of human sexuality research, but there are a number of issues that can affect or confound research outcomes. This review addresses various methodological issues relevant to research design in human studies with T; unaddressed, these issues may introduce unwanted noise, error, or conceptual barriers to interpreting results. Topics covered are (1) social and demographic factors (gender and sex; sexual orientations and sexual diversity; social/familial connections and processes; social location variables), (2) biological rhythms (diurnal variation; seasonality; menstrual cycles; aging and menopause), (3) sample collection, handling, and storage (saliva vs. blood; sialogogues, saliva, and tubes; sampling frequency, timing, and context; shipping samples), (4) health, medical issues, and the body (hormonal contraceptives; medications and nicotine; health conditions and stress; body composition, weight, and exercise), and (5) incorporating multiple hormones. Detailing a comprehensive set of important issues and relevant empirical evidence, this review provides a starting point for best practices in human sexuality research with T and other androgens that may be especially useful for those new to hormone research.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychology and Women's Studies, Program in Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences Program, Science, Technology, and Society Program, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA, smva@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Sari M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: van Anders
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Goldey
authors.forename: Sarah N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012107:Research Design; D012463:Saliva / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D019529:Sexuality; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone